The present invention relates generally to hay harvesting machines incorporating a conditioning roll mechanism to condition severed crop material and, more particularly, to a reciprocating transversely moving conditioning roll and a corresponding counterweight to effect a counterbalancing thereof.
Hay harvesting machines commonly referred to as mower-conditioners or windrowers, utilize a crop harvesting header to sever the hay crop from the ground and convey it rearwardly to a conditioning mechanism operable to crush or crimp the severed crop material at spaced apart intervals along the stem of the crop to facilitate the drainage of liquids from the crop material plant. Conditioning mechanisms of the type utilizing a pair of counterrotating, intermeshing conditioning rolls are provided with transversely extending flutes to effect conditioning of the severed crop material in a manner described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,929 issued to J. K. Hale.
Although the individual crop material plant, which generally has a waxy stem, has been broken in several places by the operation of the intermeshing flutes on the conditioning rolls, the liquids within the plant still require significant time to escape from the plant to permit satisfactory conditions in which the dried crop material can be baled and then removed from the field. A more rapid drying of liquids from the conditioned crop material could be obtained if the waxy stem of the crop material plant were split along the length thereof, providing a ready means for the liquid to escape from the plant.
Mounting at least one of the conditioning rolls for reciprocal transverse movement relative to the other conditioning roll would provide a more extensive conditioning of the crop plant; however, the mass of the reciprocating conditioning roll could result in a considerable shaking of the mower-conditioner reducing operative life and providing a less operably stable machine. To counter balance this reciprocating conditioning roll mass, a counterweight would be desirable to move transversely in opposition to the reciprocable movements of the conditioning roll.